I hypothesize
by Fictionreadergrl
Summary: My spin on what Dr. Sweets should have done after Booth’s comment to Bones at the end of The Man in the Outhouse 4.03
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Disclaimer**: I in no way own any intellectual or actual properties associated with Bones, they are the sole property of Fox. No matter how sexy Seeley is. The quotes in chapter one are taken from The Man in the Outhouse [4.03] to set the scene, all other words are mine.

**Summary: **My spin on what Dr. Sweets _should_ have done after Booth's comment to Bones at the end of The Man in the Outhouse [4.03]. Warning, rated M for later chapters. My first attempt at an M-rated fic.

**CHAPTER 1:**

"Does it seem that your partnership provides a surrogate relationship, making it more difficult to form other bonds?" Dr. Sweets asked suggestively. He had his suspicions about the underlying nature of the partners' relationship, but he had to be careful not to push either one while trying to get his confirmation.

"A surrogate relationship wouldn't necessarily be such a bad thing because then I could avoid the sting of rejection which, however fleeting, is still uncomfortable." Dr. Temperance Brennan answered, dejectedly.

"Right. Okay, look, I'm sorry, you know what, if Mark and Jason don't know how lucky they are, they don't deserve you in the first place." Agent Booth stated adamantly.

"No, relationships are temporary." Dr. Brennan countered, but it was clear she didn't want to believe this as she once did.

"No, that's not true, Bones, you're wrong. Okay, there is someone for everyone, someone you're meant to spend the rest of your life with. Alright, you just have to be open enough to see it, that's all." Agent Booth stated comfortingly, his focus entirely on Dr. Brennan, and hers on him.

Through his evaluations, Dr. Sweets had come to believe that for such great observers, Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan were completely oblivious to each other and themselves. After Agent Booth's last comment Dr. Sweets was struggling not to yell out "JUST TELL HER YOU LOVE HER ALREADY". No, no, this wasn't some night out at the movies where the audience can yell at the screen what they know should or will happen. No, subtle comments and questions would have to do for now until Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan were able to turn their great detecting skills on each other. But someone was going to have to point them in the right direction.

Despite his age and Agent Booth's repeated attempts to intimidate him, Dr. Sweets knew he would be able to get the partners to open up, if only to each other. The question was, should he? The Bureau frowned upon fraternization among its agents, but Dr. Brennan was an independent consultant through the Jeffersonian Institution. True she was treated like an agent in some respects when it came to questioning suspects and providing backup, but she was not an agent. The distinction was often made very clear though when Dr. Brennan insisted that remains and crime scene particulates be sent back to the Jeffersonian rather than an FBI lab. It was clear her professional loyalties lay with them. But it wasn't the teams' professional loyalties that Dr. Sweets was most concerned with. He knew that the pair had a highly developed sense of professionalism, not to mention their shared dedication to upholding the law. There was no "dirty dealing" or planting of evidence, no entrapment or manipulation of the facts. These two wouldn't stand for anything less than truth and justice, no matter how ugly it was when everything came to light. It was their emotional capabilities that he wondered about.

On the surface the pair seemed fairly stable, if at times a bit odd. They complimented each other, in ways they didn't realize but was painfully obvious to nearly every person who met them. However it was Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan's ability to compartmentalize their feelings from themselves, which concerned Dr. Sweets.

Given the extensive amount of emotional turmoil experienced by both Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan over the course of their partnership, it was Dr. Sweet's opinion that they coped only because they had each other. But the "line" they clung to was only going to get in the way as their working together continuously threw them into more difficult cases. They needed to be able to support each other without fear of getting hurt. Their lives were complicated enough, they deserved something, some compensation for their unfailing dedication to standing up for the dead when no one else would or could.

His mind made up, Dr. Sweets chose his next words very carefully.


	2. Chapter 2

**CHAPTER 2:**

"Agent Booth, Dr. Brennan?"

The partners looked up at their inappropriately young, Bureau appointed psychoanalyst with mixed annoyance and curiosity. Usually when Dr. Sweets calmly called for their attention it meant he had resumed control and was about to make a comment that was certain to irritate one or both of them.

"Yeah Sweets?" Agent Booth replied, with only a twinge of annoyance at the moment being broken.

"I wonder, and I'll need you to go with me on this, if you and Dr. Brennan would mind indulging me in a little experiment?"

"What kind of experiment?" Dr. Brennan asked hesitantly. She remembered well the stunt Dr. Sweets had pulled when Booth had been shot. She had never told Booth what she discovered, out of concern for what action he would take. Certainly Dr. Sweets deserved to be punched for his little experiment, but she wasn't willing to let Booth do something that would ruin his career with the FBI. His job meant too much to him. She could empathize with that. Her social skills may be limited, but she too found a deep sense of satisfaction and sense of pride in her work. But she had warned Dr. Sweets on the stairs down to the Gormogon vault about experimenting on her and Booth, and he was asking permission this time. She would just have to make sure she got all the facts before she would make her decision.

"Just a simple hypothesis I want to test regarding working dynamics and transference, for my study." Dr. Sweets stated distractedly as he walked over to his desk to retrieve two small journals, one green and one blue. He hoped that by appearing nonchalant about the experiment he could fool Agent Booth's seemingly uncanny ability to read people and tell when they were lying.

Fortunately for Dr. Sweets, Agent Booth was a little bit distracted himself. It was getting late and he really wanted to grab some dinner before he got down to all the paper work for this latest case. With any luck Caroline would be able to keep that nut out of an insane asylum and lock him up with other murders with toilet issues.

"Sure Sweets, but make it snappy. I'm sure it's getting to be past your bedtime and the grown-ups still have paperwork to fill out"

Dr. Sweets sighed while Dr. Brennan looked over at her partner curiously. He wasn't usually this agreeable when it came to anything Dr. Sweets suggested. A quick look at her wristwatch told her why. Booth was hungry. He probably knew when the diner stopped baking pie and wanted to grab some food before then. Now that she thought about it, she was rather hungry too. After the gallery opening, she and Mark were supposed to have dinner. So much for that plan.

Deciding that it would be faster to conduct the experiment than argue with Dr. Sweets, Dr. Brennan found that she was agreeing to the experiment as well.

"Excellent. I promise I'll make it short. Hopefully we won't have to repeat it too many times to confirm the results. That would just suck. Am I right?" Seeing the blank stares of both Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan, Dr. Sweets decided to move on.

"Ahem, okay. Here's what I need you to do. I hypothesize that people in high stress jobs are often subjected to feelings for a co-worker. The feelings stem primarily from the individuals personal thoughts on their job but because of the intense nature of a high stress profession, these feelings are often transferred to a co-worker rather then dealt with in a more independent outlet. These feelings can be positive, negative or in some cases neutral depending on the working dynamic those involved have developed. If there is a strong sense of comradeship and trust then these feelings: platonic, hostile, amicable, romantic, whatever, should be evident in any display of physical connection. A handshake, a pat on the back, knocking fists, a hug, or even a friendly kiss." At this last word Agent Booth's head shot up, one eyebrow raised suspiciously. This wasn't what he had in mind when he agreed to a quick experiment. What was Sweets up to now?

Booth was sure the youthful shrink had pulled some stunts before, but he couldn't quite figure out when. So far the stunts, if any, had been harmless and seemed to do nothing more than irritated Booth and give him and Bones something to gripe over later. Yet another work inspired conversation topic. But this, this was sounding to be a bit more than some silly trust exercise. Certainly more difficult than when he had to reveal a personally embarrassing moment to Bones after he laughed about the whole Brainy Smurf thing. No, this smacked of something planned. But to what end? Booth decided to let Dr. Sweets explain a bit further before he jumped to any conclusions. His gut was telling him to get out now, yet he seemed determined to see this through. If only so he could use it as leverage against Dr. Sweets the next time he wanted to skip a therapy session.

Dr. Brennan could tell Booth was suspicious. His moves were slight, a tensing of the spine, a clenching of the jaw, but she had worked with Booth long enough to know that when he was suspicious there was good reason to keep up your guard.

"Just what does this experiment entail Dr. Sweet?" Dr. Brennan inquired carefully. Booth was already on alert, looking for a way out, hopefully she could expedite the matter by shutting down the experiment for lack of scientific principles. Besides, psychology is a soft science, how much could one experiment prove? Still, Booth had tensed up when Dr. Sweets had mentioned the word 'kiss'. Could that be what Dr. Sweets had planned? He must have spoken with Caroline after meeting them at the diner to explain the necessity of lying to children at Christmas. Wasn't five steamboats enough?

"I have here two journals. One for each of you. I would like you each to go to each of your co-workers and in some way make physical contact with them. The co-workers and degree of contact is up to you, but I would like you to have some variety. If possible try to find a co-worker you are comfortable shaking hands with, patting on the back, knocking fists, hugging and finally giving a friendly kiss to. After each encounter I want you to record the date, time, location and name of the co-worker you were with and your feelings before and after the physical contact. However to prevent from skewing the results, I don't want you to tell your co-workers why you are touching them. This is meant to be as natural as possible. I would also ask that you refrain from sharing your recordings with each other until the experiment is complete. I realize that each of you has a different working situation outside of your partnership, but I'm sure you'll make a serious effort in this endeavor. You'll be able to share results after I've had a chance to look at both the journals and record the raw data."

Agent Booth breathed a sigh of relief as Dr. Brennan looked curiously first at Agent Booth and secondly at Dr. Sweets. She should have known better than to jump to conclusions before having all the facts. Dr. Sweets was simply asking for help in gathering data, nothing sinister or manipulative. Of course she was more than willing to participate. Anthropologically speaking, the nature of physical contact between two people could also reveal who was of higher status and who was considered a superior among a group. Dr. Brennan reached out her hand as Dr. Sweets handed her the green notebook. However, as Agent Booth reached out for the blue journal, Dr. Sweets made one final comment.

"Of course I expect you two to attempt physical contact with each other more than once since your working dynamic is much more involved and deeply rooted. Make an effort for 3 out of the 5 I gave you. No planning ahead either, I need your testing on each other to be as spontaneous as they would be on your other co-workers. And each of you must initiate one form of physical contact. The rest of the information will be in your journal. Have them back by next week's session and we'll go from there."

Dr. Brennan and Agent Booth simply looked at each other in part confusion, part shock after hearing Dr. Sweets' last comment. This was going to be an interesting week.


	3. Chapter 3

**CHAPTER 3:**

Agent Booth and Dr. Brennan walked quietly in the parking lot. Neither had said anything after Dr. Sweets last comment beyond a quick "Gotta go Sweets" from Agent Booth. The pair entered the FBI issued vehicle quickly before Agent Booth steered the SUV out of the parking garage and onto the main street.

It wasn't long before Agent Booth spoke up.

"Bones, I think we can both agree here that Sweets is up to something. I don't know what, but that little sneak has something up his Juniors department sleeve."

"Booth that is a wildly unfair accusation. As I recall you were the one who made the deal with Dr. Sweets to let him observe our partnership for psychological profiling on demand. This experiment isn't that far fetched given the premise of his study on efficacy and focused outcomes. You just want there to be something wrong with the experiment because the thought of physical contact with your co-workers bothers you. You have control issues. But this experiment allows for that, you initiate the contact. You're in control."

"My control issues are not the case here, okay Bones. I don't have control issues. What is the issue is that Sweets gave us a very specific list of the types of contact. If this experiment really was about our views of the job and our co-workers the ways we could touch each other would be up to us. Not to mention he told us we have to try for at least 3 of the 5 he mentioned. That's an awfully high amount of contact in 1 week Bones."

"Dr. Sweets probably gave us a specific list because most other forms would be considered a form of harassment. He would be a very irresponsible scientist if he didn't set ground rules for his experiment."

"Harassment huh? Well what about that last form of physical contact he mentioned? A friendly kiss? How many of your co-workers do you kiss? And just what is considered a 'friendly' kiss anyway, huh?" Booth made sure to curl his index fingers up on both hands while still gripping the wheel as he mentioned the word 'friendly'.

Dr. Brennan had to stop for a moment. Booth had a point. Even with her limited social skills, Dr. Brennan had picked up that it wasn't a common occurrence for co-workers to kiss each other, no matter how platonic the relationship might be. Was Dr. Sweets trying to experiment on them again? He didn't seem to be foolish, and despite his age he was rather intelligent. So what was his angle? Dr. Brennan was beginning to consider the possibilities when Booth stopped for a red light.

"Hungry Bones?" Booth asked, looking over at his partner.

"A bit. I was supposed to have dinner before our session but I wasn't in the mood to eat after Mark dumped me. However now, I think I could eat something."

"Well it's getting kind of late, so not a lot of places are going to be open. Did you want to change before we eat or are you gonna sit there looking like your going to a ball?" Agent Booth commented with a smirk as the light turned green.

Dr. Brennan hadn't thought much about her outfit when she walked into her session with Booth and Dr. Sweets, but it was probably too fancy for the diner or Wong-Foo's.

"We can order in at my place. I feel like changing out of this dress. Do you mind?"

"Not at all Bones. I have the paper work and files in the back; we can kill two birds with one stone." Agent Booth replied.

"Well I imagine you would be very good at efficiently killing things, but what do birds have to do with our paperwork?" Dr. Brennan asked rather puzzled.

Booth couldn't help but smirk even harder. Even all dressed up with the make-up and the jewelry, Bones would be Bones.

"It means we can take care of more than one problem at the same time. Going to your apartment so you can change, ordering food and getting a start on all this paperwork all at once is taking care of three problems at once."

"Oh, well then why didn't you just say so? What did those birds have to do with that?" Dr. Brennan stated, in her most literal tone

"It's just an expression okay Bones. People say them sometimes instead of explaining the whole situation." Agent Booth declared slightly exasperatedly.

"Well it's an anthropologic indicator that people tend to use expressions and actions that are more in line with their personalities. Your backgrounds as a sniper and an aggressive athlete pre-dispose you to more violent imagery and take down tactics when we are in the field." Dr. Brennan stated rather factually. Agent Booth simple gripped the wheel a bit tighter as he continued to drive to Dr. Brennan's apartment.

"We're getting off subject here Bones. My personality and whatever I am predisposed towards is not in question. What is in question is what Sweets is planning and why you are all of a sudden in favor of his experiment?" Agent Booth finished his statement with his jaw clenched just a little bit more than was normal.

"I never said I was in favor of his experiment, I simply said I was willing to participate and that his hypothesis makes sense given the overall scheme of his book proposal." Dr. Brennan explained. She understood that Booth was a private person and it had taken him a long time to open up to her. She knew he didn't really trust some one with such limited life experience as Dr. Sweets. How much could he know if he still talked like a high schooler at times? Though, there were moments, Dr. Brennan was hesitant to admit, when Dr. Sweets was surprisingly astute and insightful. He must have a latent skill for reading body language and voice pitch that as he spent more time with the pair grew stronger. Booth didn't like that he couldn't read Dr. Sweets as well as Dr. Sweets could read him. That must be it.

"Bones look. If this experiment was supposed to be spontaneous then why did he have notebooks ready for us? Why did he bring it up at a night session rather then a day one? We won't see our co-workers till tomorrow anyways."

Booth's arguments were getting stronger, since when did he start winning debates? Dr. Brennan attributed it to her emotionally exhaustive day. She just wasn't up to verbal sparring at this level right now. She needed to focus. Stay on task before the whole evening was a waste and she would have even more work tomorrow.

"Booth, can we discuss this more tomorrow? We have a lot of paper work to finish up and I'm rather tired. I would like to devote our remaining energy to the most relevant situation first. The faster we get this paperwork done the sooner we can both get some sleep. I for one would like to start off my day tomorrow identifying remains from limbo." Dr. Brennan was hopeful that Booth would for once listen to her and they could most efficiently 'kill two birds with one stone'.

"Sure Bones. Besides we're here anyways."

Dr. Brennan looked up to see her apartment building standing outside the car door. She began to unbuckle when Agent Booth hopped out of the car, ran around to her door and opened it.

"You've had a long day; shall I walk you to your door?" Agent Booth smiled charmingly at Dr. Brennan as he extended his hand to help her out of the car. Dr. Brennan placed her right hand in Agent Booth's as she stepped out of the car carefully.

The pair walked with grins up the front stairs and up to Dr. Brennan's apartment.

"That was rather gentlemanly of you Booth, thank you."

Agent Booth's hand slide to Dr. Brennan's chin as he tilted her head up to meet his gaze.

"You deserve to have gentlemen in your life Bones. I'm just gonna grab the paperwork from the car and I'll be right back up. Make sure to order extra Mee-krob for me this time." With one last fleeting touch to her face Agent Booth walked down the hall to the elevator.

Dr. Brennan smiled softly as she opened her door and walked towards her bedroom to change.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4: **

Booth jogged quickly to the car and unlocked the back door. Reaching inside he picked up the pertinent case files and forms he and Dr. Brennan needed. He was about to grab the pile of papers that contained his and Dr. Brennan's journals when his stomach growled loudly. Figuring he could just run back down for any papers they needed, Agent Booth raced back upstairs to Dr. Brennan's apartment, hoping the food would arrive quickly.

Dr. Brennan opted for a pair of fitted black yoga pants and a heather grey wrap sweater before she made her way into the kitchen to look for the Thai menu on the fridge. The paper threefold was dog-eared and crumpled from much use, though Dr. Brennan hardly needed reminding of how frequently she and Booth had ordered from the restaurant when working from her apartment. Booth even had his own set of chopsticks in her silverware drawer that she had brought back from one of her trips to the East. Quickly browsing the menu Dr. Brennan decided what to order and picked up the phone to press speed dial 6. She was just finishing up the order when she looked up to see Agent Booth pushing open the door with his hip while struggling to keep his grip on the rather large piles of papers and files in his arms. As soon as she heard the restaurant on the other end of the phone confirm their order and hang up she calmly strode over to the door chuckling as she saw Agent Booth loosing the battle of the bureaucratic bundle of papers. Sliding gradually to the floor, Agent Booth leaned against the door jam to regain some balance with the papers. An official looking sheet started to slide to the floor as Agent Booth looked up to see Dr. Brennan.

"A little help here Bones? These papers are all in order and I don't feel like playing 52 card pick up with Federal paperwork."

"I don't know what 52 cards has to do with our paperwork, but I'll help. Provided you don't mind that I might have to touch you to help right those papers in your arms." Dr. Brennan couldn't help but grin at the irritated look Booth shot her. She knew he didn't mind her teasing, usually, but it really was a hassle to re-organize paperwork and she had asked Booth to drop the subject while they focused on the details of the paper work. Still, she was curious how far she could get away with the teasing. She should remember this feeling for when she has to record the data for Dr. Sweets. Giddy, with a touch of mischievousness. It was Booth's over protectiveness that consistently interfered with her attempts to satisfy her biological imperative, like with Mark. Just because she wasn't embarrassed and Booth was gave him no reason to embarrass her dates. She knew he wasn't thrilled that he had so readily agreed to Dr. Sweets' experiment, so Dr. Brennan felt she could use this opportunity for a little vindication. All in the name of science.

Agent Booth looked up at Dr. Brennan and was a little unsettled to see the look of playfulness she wore. This could not bode well for him. He needed to get back on task quickly. "Bones, you can stand there and make jokes or you can help me get this paperwork onto the table before I knock over one of your relics while I try to get these papers together myself." Agent Booth knew of her tendency to get the last laugh when she felt she had control of a situation. And she said _he_ had control issues. Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Too bad she wouldn't get the reference. He briefly wondered if this had something to do with Dr. Sweets' experiment. No, that couldn't be it; he hadn't seen her write anything in her journal. His Bones was nothing if not a meticulous scientist. She would document every step of the process, in excellent handwriting of course and the most scientifically accurate terms possible. She would never be able to pull of the spontaneity Sweets had wanted the conditions of the experiment to occur under. Speaking of which, what _were_ the conditions of this experiment? Sweets had said the rest of the details would be in the journals. The journals, now where did he leave those things? Were they still in the car? Did Bones grab them?

As Agent Booth became more lost in his thoughts, he failed to notice his partner treading closer with a wicked glint in her eyes and her hands outstretched. Closer and closer she tiptoed as Agent Booth continued to loose the fight with the stack of files and papers. Just a few more steps and she would be able to reach out and touch the papers.

With one final move and a bend of the knee Dr. Brennan made her move.

**A/N:** Sorry this is so short, but I've got a 40 hour work week coming up that will probably end up more like 50, so I need to get some sleep. I'll start work on chapter 5 tomorrow night, but reviews really help. I'm a little stuck as to which way I want to go with this and seeing what's working for all of you helps me decide where to go next.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5:**

Dr. Brennan yelled out as she leaped towards Agent Booth. Agent Booth, for all his army training, never stood a chance. His last sight before her attack reached him was a vicious grin

Papers went flying as Agent Booth tumbled to his side, Dr. Brennan tickling him mercilessly.

"Gah, Bones! No, stop! Please! For the love of God, stop!" Agent Booth struggled for breath in between writhing from the tickle torture being bestowed upon him by his partner. At some point he managed to roll to his stomach and he began to crawl towards the living room. His wild thrashing had kicked the door close with a resounding 'BANG', but even that wasn't enough to distract Dr. Brennan. She raced after him, intent on jumping on his back before he could reach the couch.

Agent Booth wasn't caught off guard this time and as soon as he heard Dr. Brennan move he rolled onto his back and kicked his legs to pull himself up in time to throw his arms out and catch Dr. Brennan as she was mid-air.

"Alright Bones, enough is enough." Agent Booth was still trying to catch his breath as Dr. Brennan struggled to tickle him further with a playful grin on her face. Agent Booth had to shift his grip several times while trying to fend of his surprisingly nimble partner. At some point Dr. Brennan was able to get her feet on the ground solidly enough to press her weight forward and knock Agent Booth off his balance. Agent Booth was able to reach back with one hand and brace his fall on the arm of the couch. Unfortunately, he failed to pay attention to where his other hand was going in an effort to regain his balance.

"Bones, okay stop. You win. Whatever it is you were trying to prove, you win. You were right." But for some reason Dr. Brennan wasn't grinning madly anymore. Instead, she had a rather mixed expression on her face. Something like confusion, surprise and intrigue. Agent Booth was mystified himself at the sudden change in his partner's mood when he followed his hand to its current resting place and turned a rather amusing shade of scarlet.

Somehow during the struggle Dr. Brennan's wrap sweater had been pulled open just enough so that when Agent Booth reached out with his other arm to steady himself and his partner, his hand slid inside the sweater and cupped Dr. Brennan's breast. A bare breast, as Dr. Brennan didn't see the need to wear a bra. A bare breast that was beginning to have a rather tight nipple and goose pimpled flesh.

A credit to Agent Booth, upon realizing where his hand was and the effect it was having on a very flabbergasted partner, he pulled his hand back quickly only to stumble backwards over the arm of the couch, his legs kicking up involuntarily to follow. Of course, his legs seemed to have a mind of their own as they kicked over a few other things in their path.

**A/N: **I know, it's short and I seem to have a penchant for these types of endings to my chapters. But after a day at work I just couldn't help but give myself a little giggle. Maybe the next chapter will be more, involved? I haven't decided yet which of the two directions I'm going to take this, but I'm certainly having fun till then.


	6. The poll

**A/N: **Okay, so I sat down and tried to write up a story map of how many chapters there are going to be and how each chapter is going to go, and I ended up getting stuck with which path I want to take the story. So I have created a poll and posted it on my profile page so all those curious readers can have a say, because honestly, I could probably write any one of the paths and be happy with them. Some of them have some great potential for giggles. But I can't seem to get past the block of which route is best for the story. So please look at the choices and vote.


	7. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

A crash rang out as Agent Booth's foot kicked over the small end table and lamp next to the couch. Fortunately for him, Agent Booth landed on some very comfortable couch cushions. Unfortunately for Dr. Brennan, she did not. As she was dealing with the unfortunate headache that comes when your head bangs something with no warning she exclaimed loudly, "Ouch! Booth, that was extremely unpleasant. You didn't need to react so strongly."

Agent Booth, being the good Catholic boy he was, was immediately filled with guilt as he sat up quickly to help Dr. Brennan. He was no more than 2 steps off the couch and towards Dr. Brennan when he fell forward, a result of not paying attention to where he was stepping. The reason he was not paying attention to where he was stepping was because he was stupefied by the sight in front of him. Dr. Brennan wasn't quite sure why her partner was suddenly so bewildered until she looked down. The already loose wrap sweater, which had been pulled when Agent Booth yanked back his hand, had fallen completely open. She was completely exposed.

Deciding to see how far she could push this, for the sake of Dr. Sweet's research of course, Dr. Brennan sat up onto her knees before standing, pretending like there was nothing wrong. "Booth, are you okay? You look a bit pale. Are you getting sick? Let me check your temperature.'

Before Agent Booth could even process what Dr. Brennan had just said she was crawling over to him and raising the back of her hand to his forehead as if to check his temperature. Meanwhile her breasts sat firm, her nipples contracting into tight points at the prolonged exposure to the cold air. Agent Booth couldn't help but gawk at the sight before him. He had seen breasts before, and he knew Bones was a woman, he had felt the proof moments earlier. But something about the two concepts of his partner and his partner being a woman crashed over him like a wave. Suddenly, Agent Booth's pants were tighter than normal, and not just because he was kneeling on the ground. Dr. Brennan's other hand was resting on his thigh to help her balance while she pretended to check his temperature.

Dr. Brennan knew what was bothering her partner and suddenly this experiment had taken on a whole new level of enjoyment for her. She had always loved science and facts and truth, but she had never taken to the experiments the way Dr. Hodgins and Dr. Addy had. She had never experienced the same kind of thrill as they had when it came to designing and conducting an experiment. Even her father had found a certain delight in the lab. But this time, this experiment, she found her self wanting to prolong the data collecting process. This was fun.

Agent Booth was in a haze. He was so confused. Did he hit his head on something as he fell and he was just imagining that his partner's bare breasts were sitting in front of him, begging to be touched? Why was she smirking? Bones doesn't smirk? Well she does, but she doesn't know it. Only when she is highly amused with herself or something else does she smirk. Usually when Agent Booth had made a joke or she thought he was being ridiculous. But he hadn't made any jokes, so clearly she found something amusing. Oh god, was her hand on his thigh? Even Bones can't be that oblivious. Something was up, and he wasn't just being literal. The question was what? She wasn't usually the playful or prankster type. Agent Booth thought back, Bones had been smirking and grinning a lot tonight. Suddenly Agent Booth remembered something Bones had said right before this whole situation had gone crazy.

"You don't mind that I might have to touch you to help right those papers."

Touch. Dr. Sweets experiment. It was making sense. She always was good at playing a level head. Two can play at that game. If she wanted to play "Chicken" with touching and use Dr. Sweets' experiment for a scapegoat, he'd make her regret that decision. Not even Bones gets to play Seeley Booth.

"Bones, I think you're right, I might have a fever. Let me check your head to see how bad." Agent Booth sat up a little straighter, forcing Dr. Brennan's hand to slide up his jeans just the tiniest bit more, but enough for her to start to notice the strain on the material. As Agent Booth's hand slid up Dr. Brennan's arm towards her neck she couldn't help but suck in a bit of air. Sure the sweater covered her arms, but Booth's hand was almost calculating careful as it traveled up her arm. Her nipples hardened further, though whether it was from the cold of exposure of the proximity of Booth's touch was still up for debate.

"Bones, are you okay? You look a bit flushed. Maybe you have a fever too?"

Agent Booth tried to suppress his smirk. Bones never anticipated him retaliating. He was always the good Catholic boy, but he was stubborn too. He wasn't one to take things lying down. It's what made him such a good agent. It's also what caused him to wear the "Cocky" belt buckle and the character socks and the colorful ties. And it was what was going to help him win against Bones. Whatever winning meant.

Dr. Brennan was about to say something when a noise brought both her and Agent Booth to attention.


	8. Author's Note

**A/N:** Hey guys, I know it's been a while since my last chapter. I've been struck by serious writer's block. I know how I want things to play out, but I can't seem to organize my thoughts enough to get the words out. Hopefully I'll be able to get something started and up before Sunday night. Thanks for your patience!


	9. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7: **

* Ding Dong*

The sound of the doorbell ringing again had both Temperance and Seeley stuck in their tracks like deer caught in a headlight.

"Were you expecting someone?" asked a cocky FBI agent. He had a pretty good idea who was at the door, but he wanted to see how flustered he had made the good doctor.

"I can't imagine who would be coming by. I better go check." Temperance practically leapt up to the door by the sounding of the 3rd doorbell ring. Seeley chuckled quietly to himself. Apparently he had the woman more off kilter than he had expected. While the door was being answered, Seeley stood up and readjusted himself slightly before heading to the kitchen.

"Coming!" Temperance called out a bit shakily as she rushed to the door. A quick glance though the peephole revealed a young man in a brightly colored jacket, a backwards baseball cap and an arm full of steaming food in plastic take out bags.

"You ordered Thai food, right? This stuff is getting kind of heavy and it's hot so can you hurry it up." The delivery boy looked fairly annoyed since the order had been placed with a rush notice on it. Anybody at the restaurant could tell you that when Dr. Temperance Brennan placed an order, getting it there fast was always rewarded with a big tip. But he had been pressing her doorbell for nearly 5 minutes now, what was taking her so long?

"Bones, who is it?" Seeley called from the kitchen.

"It's the food." Temperance called back.

"Oh great, I'm _starved_." He made sure to exaggerate the final word while waggling his eyebrows before adding, "Hey, uh Bones. You might want to fix your sweater a bit. Unless that's how you give your tips." At this statement, the agent took his time staring pointedly at the exposed chest that was still on display to his confused delight. The strain on his pants was suddenly coming back with a vengeance.

Ever the professional, Dr. Brennan took quick stock of her state, blushing only minimally at Agent Booth's suggestive glance. Clearly flashing the delivery boy might get her free Mee-krob, but it was as demeaning as flashing for those tacky plastic beads at Mardis Gras, how that tradition got started she still doesn't know. Grasping the edges of her sweater, she quickly pulled it closed and re-tied the belt. Reaching for her wallet sitting on the sideboard, Temperance turned to face the man in her kitchen as she opened the door

"Booth, come help me with this"

Ever the eager helper, Seeley trotted to the front door to gather up the food while Dr. Brennan paid. Moving quickly to the kitchen where Booth had already pulled out plates, cups and various eating utensils, the pair began distributing food onto various plates.

"Wow, this smells incredible. I love how fast that place delivers." Agent Booth bent down and sniffed deeply of his plate of food before her proceeded to shovel it into his mouth. Dr. Brennan chuckled softly as a noodle fell from the plate and stuck to the voracious eater's shirt.

"Booth, you are worse than a child sometimes. Why I let you serve yourself first and get all the goodies when you are just going to spill them all over yourself is beyond me."

"Aw, c'mon Bones, I'm hungry. Cut me some slack here, I've had a long day."

Temperance chuckled again as she rolled her eyes. Reaching out, she gently picked off the noodle from Agent Booth's shirt before holding it to his plate. The rapidly moving fork made any attempts to place said noodle on the plate a dangerous gambit.

"Booth, do you want this noodle or not? I'm not going to hold this out here forever."

Seeley Booth halted his fork as it was making a pass across the plate. Bones, his Bones was holding out a noodle for him. It was too good a chance to pass. Time to get this game of 'Chicken' back on track.

"Are you touching my food Bones?" Agent Booth stated in a mock upset voice. The look of confusion that passed her face told Booth he could really get her off guard if he acted quickly. Leaning his head forward, Seeley caught the bottom of the noodle in his mouth and proceeded to suck the strip until his lips met with Temperance's fingers. The fingers that were holding onto the remaining bits of the delectable noodle. Without hesitation, Seeley sucked the fingers and the end of the noodle into his mouth. Using his tongue to pull the noodle from between a very surprised forensic anthropologist' fingers, the skilled agent nipped gently with his teeth the tips of the fingers, finding them to be covered in the same sauce as the noodle.

"Mmmm" moaned Agent Booth upon tasting the flavored phalanges. He was enjoying this game far more than he expected. True, he could never deny the strong physical attraction he felt for Bones, and the strong sexual tension that was entirely unintentional was not unnoticed by him. But this was his partner. This was Bones. This was someone, who until recently, he was able to firmly associate as a "persona-non-grata". But seeing her exposed like that earlier, and seeing her response to his hand touching her arm, and the excitement he was feeling merely eating a noodle was taking this whole experiment to a new level.

**A/N: **I know it's short, and I know it's a bit late, but I am still struggling with Writer's Block. This bit alone took 6 hours. Sorry if it reads like it was forced, I really tried to have it sound like a natural development. I just can't seem to connect how I want this to end with the rest of the chapters. Reviews are actually helping a lot right now. Thanks again for all the patience.


	10. Chapter 8

**A/N:** Sorry for the long delay, a combination of writers block and some medical issues kept me away from writing. Thankfully I have a new job that isn't as stressful and I should be able to keep a more regular writing schedule. Thank you so much to those of you who keep reviewing during the long absence. It really brought a smile to my face to see new readers encouraging me to continue. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter.

**Chapter 8:**

The good doctor wasn't sure how to respond to the tongue currently nipping and suckling at her fingertips. She was aroused, that was for sure. What had aroused her she wasn't so sure about. Was it really just this very sensual act and the scene that had played out on the living room, or was it the fact that Seeley Booth was the one doing them?

Suddenly the air in the room was a bit warmer than usual and Temperance was having a harder time drawing breath. Booth was oblivious to the reaction she was having, pupil dilation, labored breathing, flushed skin, or he was a much better actor than she gave him credit for? Where the hell did he learn how to do those things with his tongue? What else could he do with that tongue she wondered? As her thoughts grew more and more descriptive, Seeley's lips grew bolder, moving down his thoroughly preoccupied partner's fingers till he was nipping at her knuckles.

Without realizing it, Dr. Brennan let out a moan. The instant the sound escaped her lips the partners froze. Both stood perfectly still, Booth's lips still wrapped around his partner's fingers. Bones didn't know how to proceed. Her brain couldn't even form a thought, let alone a plan as what to do next. It was as if her body was disconnected from her mind. In more ways than one. Motionless and distracted by the suddenly stilled tongue, Temperance's fingers went limp. It was the sound of Brennan's plate crashing on the floor that seemed to break the spell on the two.

Seeley stepped back slowly, with a slight grin as Bones' fingers slid past his lips. Brennan took a step, before suddenly gasping in pain.

"Ouch!"

"Bones, what's wrong?" Booth asked, concerned.

As if to answer, Temperance lifted her foot to reveal a gash along the instep of her left foot, a small piece of plate stuck out of the flesh.

"Oh geeze Bones. Here, let's get you to the couch and we'll get you all fixed up. Where's your first aid kit?"

"In my bathroom, the 3rd shelf of towel closet opposite the sink." Temperance called out to Seeley as he started to walk back. She let out a little gasp when she tried to step forward towards the couch. Even limping hurt. Booth looked over and noticed his partner's plight. Without another word he turned around and scooped her up before carrying her into her back to the couch. Dr. Brennan, to her credit, allowed this without a single word of how demeaning it is for a man to carry a woman simply because she slightly injured her foot. Okay, maybe it was more than slightly injured, but she had walked out of worse things than this. Why was she letting Booth carry her now? Was she really that thrown off by the noodle? She had dropped the plate. But what was it about Booth that always had her off her game, to use one of his phrases?

While she pondered these questions, Agent Booth was hustling back from the bathroom with a suitcase sized white box bearing a red cross.

"Wow Bones this thing weighs a ton, just how many band-aids do you need?" Seeley asked jovially. He was no slouch in the "be prepared" department. In fact he was proud of his ability to be ready regardless of a situation, but the doctor looked so deep in thought that he just had to break her out of the seriousness. Besides, a good mood makes removing dishware a lot easier.

Temperance jumped slightly upon hearing Booth's voice and in the process moved her leg just enough to jar her foot.

"Ouch, Booth you scared me. Didn't anyone ever tell you it's not nice to sneak up on injured people?" Temperance chastised lightly. She was more startled by her own thoughts than the idea of Agent Booth sneaking up on her.

"Sorry Bones didn't mean to startle you, but you looked lost in though. Let's just get you cleaned up and then we can get started on that paper work."

Temperance nodded, still frowning slightly as Booth came around the couch to sit beside her. He laid the giant first aid kit on the coffee table before carefully placing Dr. Brennan's leg over his lap and positioning it so the foot was right in his line of site. Opening the kit, Seeley took out all the necessary implements before turning his attention back to the injured doctor.

"Bones, it doesn't look too bad, the bleeding has stopped but it's right in the arch so it's going to smart for a few days while it heals. Just relax and I'll try to make this as quick and painless as possible." Seeley stated sincerely. His partner looked, perplexed maybe? She looked something and Seeley Booth just did not have enough fancy words in his vocabulary to accurate describe the expression on her face. But that could wait, right now there was a piece of ceramic plate sticking out of her foot and Booth was fairly certain she would want use of said foot back sooner rather than later.

"Okay Temperance, this will sting a little, but I'll try to do it fast." Agent Booth gently grasped the plate with a pair of rubber tipped tweezers with one hand while securely holding Brennan's foot against his stomach with the other. Skillfully he pulled out the piece as delicately as if he was cutting a wire to the timer in a bomb. Dr. Brennan for her part held her breath and didn't so much as whimper as the broken ceramic left her foot. That had in no small part been due to the warm hand carefully holding her foot. The same hand whose thumb was rubbing up and down the top of her foot in small circles while it's companion cleaned up the wound. That thumb was getting damn distracting. So much so that Temperance began to feel a warm rush shooting straight up her leg and into her core. That delicious heat was so strongly capturing her attention that when the final band-aid was place on her foot she barely noticed what Seeley was saying next.


	11. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9:**

"Bones, you okay?" Seeley Booth was trying to get his partner's attention for the last few minutes. She seemed so distracted.

"Did the dish hit a nerve in her foot and she was paralyzed by the pain? No, that couldn't be it; Bones had too high a stubborn factor to let something like a dish in the foot stop her. She must be considering some new chapter for her book that she would never let me see until the book is finished. But whatever it is, I need to make sure she's okay before I move her foot."

Slowly the special agent leaned forward, careful to use one hand to protect the injured foot while sliding the other along the couch for balance while he got closer to his partner's face.

"Bones." Seeley whispered right next to his partner's face. "Bones, all done, you can come back now."

_**Meanwhile in Temperance Brennan's head:**_

"There have been several studies on the effectiveness of touch to stimulate serotonin in situations of injury to reduce the shock and trauma. People in life or death situations often express their adrenaline high by seeking outlets for endorphins with someone they wouldn't normally seek out. Doctors used to masturbate women who they had diagnosed as having depression. Touch in the face of a medical situation does not mean anything underlying or, secret or, God why does that hand have to be grazing along my thigh? Is he leaning closer? What's he saying? Mmm, he smells warm. I wonder if he knows about how doctors used to treat depression?"

"Bones, yoo-hoo. Wake up, paper work time." At this point Agent Booth had pulled his partner's leg a bit more over his lap in the hopes of jarring her attention.

"Hmm, Booth? You were saying something?" Dr. Brennan let out, a bit more huskily than she had intended.

"Bones, c'mon, we have to do it before it gets too late."

"It?" Temperance asked, still a bit flushed from her thoughts of playing doctor.

"Yeah, the paperwork. The reason I came over. Before we got distracted. Remember?"

"Oh, of course. Well if you hadn't insisted on being such a sloppy eater we could have started on the paper work a while ago."

"Oh she did not just try to blame me for this", Agent Booth thought. Not when she started this whole game with that tickle attack. Suddenly an idea occurred to him. Considering the placement of his body and his partner's Seeley decided to see how far he could play this before Bones called "chicken". Not that she would know what that was, but still it would be interesting to see her consider her options.

Turning his hand so it cupped the side of Dr. Brennan's outer thigh while resting her injured foot on a pillow at the end of the couch, Seeley Booth slid in closer in between his partner's legs with a wolfish smile on his face and a wicked course of action in his mind.

**A/N:** Okay, I know this is so OCC but I needed to set the ground work for the next chapter which will hopefully give you all something to be excited about, assuming my muse feels like sharing that with me. She's being quite the torturous brat and even I want to know where I'm going next. Oh well, hopefully I'll know soon.


End file.
